In this episode, I interview Jon Goldberg, a writer and creative director in the advertising world who recently finished a series of personal essays and is working on his first novel.
Although he stumbled into ad writing after attempting to break into screenwriting in Los Angeles, Jon soon transitioned from being a professional creative to leading other advertising creatives for major New York agencies. Have dreams of working in the ad world? This is the episode for you!
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During our chat, we discuss;
- What it was like growing up with parents who were very active in the civil right movement of Alabama in the 60s and 70s.
- Jon’s first attempts at writing around age 8 and 9, and how he shares those with his kids today.
- How Jon’s kids are creative, and what he does to support and encourage them.
- Jon’s career progression and how he ended up in advertising.
- How being a creative director for a New York ad agency impacted his personal creativity.
- His evolution from copywriter to managing creatives, and how he was unprepared for that career shift.
- Lessons learned from managing creatives.
- Jon’s advice on understanding the difference between art and commerce.
- Interactions with agents and how even positive feedback can be frustrating.
- Creative burnout and why it’s nice to have personal projects.
- Jon’s definition of success.
- The struggles of Millennials and how Gen Xers can relate.
- Juggling work and life, and how it’s never easy.
- How Jon captures creative sparks throughout his day.
- His book and where the idea for it came from.
- Jon’s creative voice and how he discovered it.
- His thoughts on agents versus self-publishing.
- Jon’s advice for other creatives.
In addition to his Tumblr account, you can find Jon on Facebook.